Liver transplantation (LT) is a kind of effective life-saving rescue procedure. Numerous changes have occurred in the field of LT over the past decade, including expanded indications, transplantation for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, advances in transplant oncology, the use of donors after cardiac death, new surgical techniques, and prioritization of recipients on the waiting list. Furthermore, advances in organ perfusion techniques and the identification of novel rejection syndromes have impacted the management of LT recipients. The European Association for the study of the Liver Guidelines aims to focus on new developments since the previous version of the guidelines was released in 2016 rather than comprehensively covering all aspects of liver transplantation. Herein, certain content has been excerpted for readers' reference.

Liver fibrosis is a common pathological process associated with multiple chronic liver diseases. Recent advancements have significantly improved the non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis. This article focuses on the exploration of hot topics, namely how noninvasive indicators can evaluate liver fibrosis reversal and predict clinical outcomes. Concurrently, it indicates that attention should be paid to the dynamic changes of noninvasive indicators, and population screening efforts should be strengthened to achieve early diagnosis and treatment of liver fibrosis so as to improve long-term clinical outcomes.

Autoimmune liver diseases (AILDs) is a group of chronic inflammatory liver diseases mediated by autoimmune disorders, while viral hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases mainly induced by hepatotropic viruses, resulting in liver inflammation and necrotic lesions. A viral infection is a risk factor for AILDs, and the two conditions may coexist. This article provides a review of the diagnosis and treatment of AILDs combined with viral hepatitis in recent years.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a kind of immune-mediated chronic liver disease, and its specific pathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated. In recent years, the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Expert Group has revised histology and autoantibody evaluation criteria for diagnosing AIH and has clarified the definition of treatment response. The current standard treatment regimen is still glucocorticoids and azathioprine, but novel biological agents offer new therapeutic options for patients with refractory AIH. This article reviews the new progress in the diagnosis and treatment of AIH and explores the current challenges and future research directions.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a type of autoimmune liver disease characterized by chronic intrahepatic cholestasis. Although portal hypertension is a common complication in patients with cirrhotic PBC, portal hypertension and its related complications can occur in the early stage of the disease, that is, before the cirrhosis onset. Therefore, early identification and long-term management are of great significance to reduce the occurrence of portal hypertension and decompensation events and improve long-term prognosis in patients with PBC. This paper focuses on the epidemiology, pathophysiological mechanism, clinical characteristics, non-invasive diagnosis, and treatment strategies for portal hypertension in early-stage PBC patients.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important adverse drug reaction with diverse clinical manifestations. Drug-induced autoimmune-like hepatitis (DI-ALH) is a special type of DILI possessing clinical, serological, and histological features similar to autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). However, there are significant differences between DI-ALH and AIH in terms of treatment plan, course of disease, and prognosis; therefore, differential diagnosis between DI-ALH and AIH is crucial. This article summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of DI-ALH and analyzes the existing problems in order to provide guidance for the diagnosis, treatment, and future research direction.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and identification of the independent risk factors for disease progression in patients with anti-gp210 antibody-positive primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was performed. A total of 323 cases with PBC diagnosed in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from January 2013 to June 2023 (125 patients with anti-gp210 antibody-positive and 198 patients with anti-gp210 antibody-negative) were included. Baseline and follow-up data were collected. The independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U rank sum test were used for comparison between groups of continuous data. The χ2 test was used to compare the data between groups for the count data. The Pearson test was used for correlation analysis between continuous variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the disease progression-free survival rate. The Cox regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for disease progression. Results:The male proportion (11.2% vs. 5.1%, P=0.040) and IgM level [3.29(1.88, 4.80) g/L vs. 2.56(1.44, 3.87) g/L, P=0.019] were significantly higher in patients with PBC with positive anti-gp210 antibodies than those of the negative group. Histopathological analysis showed that the Scheuer score [1(0,3) vs. 0(0,2)], bile duct inflammation [(2(1,3) vs. 1(1,2)] and bile duct reaction score [(2(1,3) vs. 1(1,2)] were higher in the positive group than those of the negative group ( P<0.05), and the maturity of the tertiary lymphoid structure was higher ( P=0.011). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 5-year disease-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with positive anti-gp210 antibodies than that of the negative group (55.8% vs. 79.7%, P=0.006) at a median follow-up of 3(2,6) years. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that γ-glutamyl transferase [ HR=1.002 (95% CI: 1.000～1.003)] and platelet count [ HR=0.993 (95% CI: 0.988～0.999)] were the independent influencing factors for disease progression in patients with anti-gp210 antibody-positive PBC ( P=0.002, 0.017). Conclusion:Patients with anti-gp210 antibody-positive PBC have more severe clinical pathological manifestations and a higher risk of disease progression. Higher levels of γ-glutamyl transferase and lower platelet counts during the first visit are independent risk factors for disease progression in patients with anti-gp210 antibody-positive PBC, which can be used as dynamic monitoring indicators for this population, suggesting the need for early intensive intervention.

Objective:To investigate the effects of ascites grading and the application of non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) on the 1-year prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).Methods:1 386 ascitic cases with ACLF were graded and followed up for one year. The 1-year prognostic effect of ascites grade and NSBBs was analyzed on ACLF by the Kaplan Meier Log-rank test, Cox stepwise regression, and multivariate regression.The t-test, Mann-Whitney U, or Kruskal-Wallis test were used for intergroup comparison of measurement data. The χ2 test was used for intergroup comparison of numerical data. Results:The incidence rate of ascites at admission was 77.56% in 1 386 ACLF cases. The Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) of the 1-year survival curve test for 1 386 ACLF patients with ascites grade was 21.384, P<0.01. Multivariate regression and Cox stepwise regression analysis showed that ascites grade, age, gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary infection, acute kidney injury, prothrombin activity (PTA), urea, MELD-Na score, and the use of NSBBs were closely related to the 1-year prognosis of ACLF. The log rank (Mantel-Cox) of NSBBs treatment in the grade 2/3 ascites group was 6.113, P=0.013, and the difference was statistically significant, suggesting that NSBBs treatment can help improve the 1-year survival rate in ACLF patients with grade 2 and 3 ascites. Conclusions:Ascites grading and the use of NSBBs affect the prognostic factor of ACLF at one year. NSBBs may be beneficial for the long-term prognosis of ACLF, and treatment can be continued in patients who have already received NSBBs prior to the onset of ACLF.

Ascites is the most common complication in the decompensated stage of cirrhosis, with approximately 5% to 10% progressing to refractory ascites (RA). The complex pathogenesis, difficult treatment, and poor prognosis are major challenges and difficulties in the clinical treatment of RA. Tolvaptan (TLV) is a kind of novel non-peptide, selective arginine vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist that can inhibit renal water reabsorption, promote free water excretion, and increase blood sodium levels, providing a new clinical option for the treatment of cirrhotic RA. This paper briefly summarizes the mechanism of action of TLV and introduces its effectiveness, safety, and predictive factors response in order to provide a reference for clinical application in the treatment of cirrhotic RA.

Objective:To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics and follow-up status of pediatric patients with hepatic glycogen storage disease in order to further improve the prognosis.Methods:The clinical data of hospitalized children diagnosed with hepatic glycogen storage disease in the Department of Gastroenterology at the Children's Hospital of Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2010 to April 2023 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The results of laboratory examination and gene sequencing were analyzed, and the number of cases that exceeded three (n) were grouped according to the genetic results: Group 1 was type Ⅰ ( n=8), Group 2 was type Ⅲ ( n=5), and Group 3 was type Ⅸa ( n=8).The growth, development and prognosis of the children were followed up. The related clinical characteristics of pediatric hepatic glycogen storage disease were summarized. Results:Twenty-five pediatric patients with hepatic glycogen storage disease were enrolled in this study, with fifteen males and ten females. The mean age of diagnosis was (29.1±13.5) months. There were twelve cases (48%) accompanied with varying degrees of hypoglycemia, and two cases (8%) with severe hypoglycemia.There were nineteen cases with stature retardation (76%), four cases with anemia (16%), three cases with proteinuria (12%), and one case with cholestasis (4%).The genetic results showed that there were four cases of type Ⅰa (16%), four cases of type Ⅰb (16%), one case of type Ⅱ (4%), five cases of type Ⅲ (20%), two cases of type Ⅳ (8%), one case of type Ⅵ (4%), and eight cases of type Ⅸ (32%).The three subgroups analysis showed that there were significant statistical differences in uric acid and triglycerides among the three groups ( P<0.05), while there were no statistical significant differences in transaminase levels, fasting blood glucose, lactate, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein levels ( P>0.05). The height-for-age Z scores of the three groups were -2.86±1.62, -1.46±1.06, and -1.83±0.98, respectively. The growth and development of groups 2 and 3 were significantly improved compared with group 1 ( P<0.05), with Z scores of -2.28±1.07, 0.20±1.54, and 0.10±1.44 after at least one year of follow-up. All pediatric patients with type Ⅸa had discontinued using raw corn starch after more than one year of follow-up and their transaminases had returned to normal. Four pediatric patients with type Ia were orally administered raw corn starch on a regular basis, and the aminotransferases, uric acid, and lactate were normal, with hypoglycemia being monitored. Among the four cases with type Ⅰb, one had recurrent respiratory tract and intestinal infections, two were combined with Crohn's disease, and one was monitored for hypoglycemia. In four cases of type Ⅲ, raw corn starch was discontinued, and a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet was adopted, with the exception of the presence of high creatine kinase and normal aminotransferase. Liver failure resulted in the death of one type Ⅵ case, while two were type Ⅳ cases; one died, and one case recently had slightly elevated aminotransferase. Conclusion:When pediatric patients exhibit manifestations such as hepatomegaly, elevated transaminases, fasting hypoglycemia, and delayed growth and development, it is necessary to be alert to hepatic glycogen storage disease. Clinical manifestations and biochemical indicators combined with genetic testing are helpful for the diagnosis of hepatic glycogen storage disease. Simultaneously, targeted nutritional management should be carried out according to the metabolic characteristics of different subtypes, with attention on growth and development status.